Hi ! I have been using a paintball style CO2 system for the last few months with good success. It is a 90 g tank and the cost of the monthly refilling of the bottle is a PITA.
I'm looking to buy a new regulator with solenoid and bubble counter by the end of the month. My choices are JBJ (saw one in aquacave) and SuMo regulators. Which one should I buy?? any other good brand? and the last question is about the size of the CO2 tank.... 5 lbs or 10 lbs?
thanks for any advice

It is always a good idea to get the biggest CO2 tank you can manage - find room for, lift and carry easily, and afford. CO2 is cheap, but taking trips to get a tank refilled soon becomes something you don't appreciate. And, it doesn't cost much more to fill a 10 pound tank than a 5 pound tank.

Which regulator to buy depends on how much you can afford to spend, whether you mind making repairs to a regulator, and how annoyed you get when the regulator requires constant attention to keep a steady bubble rate. Obviously the cheaper you go, the more repairs you may need, and the more difficult it is to hold a steady bubble rate or adjust the bubble rate. Generally, with regulators you get what you pay for.

I agree, with that in mind, if you have looked at the Sumo set up & think it`s in your budget, i would highly recommend it, I personally don`t see the need for the Ideal valve but that`s just me, i have the Swagelok valve on mine with a custom fitted Bubble counter & must say i`m quite happy with it, in closing a well built unit & good customer service.

I agree with both and Sumo does have an excellent customer service. Charlie, does your regulator requires a lot of fine tunning as Hoppy says?
how about this idea: using a splitter or manifold ( forgot the name) to diffuse the co2 in two areas of the aquarium ( 90 g )?

Panda, my Sumo , came with 2 Swagelok needle valves & 2 Bubble counters ( custom ordered0 , i never had any issues with adjusting it , it was set it & forget it.
I also have another top brand custom regulator with a Clippard needle valve, after using the Sumo for 2 weeks , i had Sumo send me a Swagelok valve & bubble counter attached to replace the Clippard, i always found the Clippard a bit flaky, changing it to the Swagelok cured that.
Regards

I am willing to put up with the problems I have with my Milwaukee regulator. So far I have replaced the solenoid valve after the original one failed, and removed the bubble counter because it wouldn't stop leaking. I struggle with setting the bubble rate every time I refill the CO2 tank, but once I finally get it set right I don't have to touch it very often. It does go wild as the tank runs out of liquid CO2, and I have to be careful to back off on the setting daily to avoid gassing my fish. I guess I am easily pleased, but I have no plans to replace the regulator.

The Milwaukee regulators was another alternative I was watching on ebay... Charlie, how much did it cost with the 2 Swagelok needle valves & 2 Bubble counters ?? - this is a great option. in fact I will contact them tonight !
Thank you very much for your answers !

Today I found a local person that offered me a 20 lbs tank for $80 plus $ 20 for the CO2. After the tank is empty he exchanges for another full tank for $20. What do you guys think??

Grab it and run before he changes his mind!

I have a 20LB tank with a aquamedic regulator and clippard needle valve. It took a few days to adjust the bubble count. I'm pretty happy with it.

What do you think about the following system:

AquariumPlants.com's Electronic Co2 Regulator


Any thoughts are very welcome.

Best,
Fab.